


Wake Me Up When September Ends

by lesbrarians



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Asari Characters, F/F, Multishep Universe, Post-Canon, References to Drugs, References to Suicide, References to parental death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-23 19:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19707730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbrarians/pseuds/lesbrarians
Summary: A brief introduction to the Shepard-T’Soni children and Cassie’s best friend, October. Shepard just wants a few moments alone with the love of her life and keeps getting distracted by teen asari hijinks.





	Wake Me Up When September Ends

**Author's Note:**

> At the beginning of the fic, there's a one-off line referencing a "Tiffany" -- this is Tiffany Shepard, my best friend's Shepard. This fic technically takes place in mine and my friends' Multishep Universe, which is why I've tagged it as such, even though no other Shepards appear in this fic. You can definitely read this as just a cute Shiara-and-kids fic!

“So,” Shepard said, pulling out a kitchen barstool and hopping onto it. “How was your date with Tiffany last night? If anyone mistook you for bondmates again, I’m flipping my shit.” 

“Well…” Liara began, a smile teasing the corners of her lips, but Shepard cut her off with a hand in the air. 

“We’ll talk about it later,” she said, and it was mutually understood that that meant ‘I’ll get drunk and complain about it later, and you’ll reassure me that it’s harmless and people are stupid.’ 

Liara laughed, stretching up on the tips of her toes to kiss Shepard’s cheek before pulling up a stool of her own. “It was fun,” she said. “We went shoe shopping.” 

Shepard nodded, but she could already feel her attention drifting. _Shoe shopping_. 

“But I’ll admit that we got distracted by that new lingerie store that opened in the south wing of the mall…” 

Shepard immediately zeroed back in on the conversation, swiveling her chair to squarely face Liara. “I’m listening,” she said, resting her elbows on her knees and leaning forward. “Did you get anything?”

Liara laughed. “I did,” she began, but she was promptly interrupted by someone calling down the hallway.

“Daddyyyy!”

“What?” Shepard raised her voice to answer, only mildly irritated with the interruption (a little suspense made everything better).

“Where do you keep your extra razor blades?” Tahirah shouted back, while Liara gave Shepard a reproachful look. She wasn’t a fan of the way her family constantly yelled to communicate from around the house, instead of finding the person in question.

“Bottom right drawer of my bathroom counter!” Shepard answered, not even thinking to question why until she saw Liara’s concerned expression.

“What does she need a razor blade for?”

“Oh.” Realization dawned on Shepard as she remembered that asari were hairless. It was funny, the things that managed to slip your mind, even after years of intimate contact with an asari. “Shit. No, there’s only two reasons she’d need a razor blade. You… don’t think she’s cutting herself, right?”

“No!” Liara protested. “There’s no warning signs, no changes in personality or appetite, nothing. Logically, there’s no reason for her to even want to harm herself. And she knows that she can talk to us, she wouldn’t need to resort to this.”

Shepard rolled her shoulders back, fidgeting in her seat to keep herself from saying what she was thinking out loud. She knew from personal experience that sometimes there were no warning signs, sometimes there was no reason for depression, sometimes someone just felt the urge to slit their wrists with a box cutter and silently bleed to death in the dead of the night.

But at the same time, it was so hard to picture her vivacious daughter, so bright and hedonic, as suicidal. “It’s drugs,” Shepard said. “It’s gotta be.”

Liara bit her lip. “She’s still so young, though… I wouldn’t want her to get involved with anything for at least another twenty years…”

“How about never?” Shepard countered, more than a little taken aback by Liara’s underwhelming reaction to the thought of their daughter doing drugs. “If she’s anything like her daddy, she’s got an addictive personality and shouldn’t be fucking around with drugs to begin with.” She exhaled, guilt bearing down on her. “This is my fault, she’s gonna end up as fucked up as I was at her age, just a kid and already strung out on crack or whatever the hell she’s snorting.”

Liara placed a placating hand on her arm. “First, you have to understand that it’s different with asari…”

“You never did drugs as a kid.” Shepard’s voice was accusatory. 

“I was a very odd child.”

“ _Was_?”

“Secondly,” Liara pressed on, “We’re jumping to conclusions. We don’t know what she’s doing.”

“You’re right,“ Shepard conceded. "Let’s find out.” 

No sooner did they stand up and head for the kitchen archway, they heard another voice shouting from the other end of the house.

“Mom! I need help!”

“Oh no,” Liara said, looking at Shepard helplessly. “What about Tahirah?”

“I should go.” Shepard tipped her chin in the opposite direction. “You see what’s up with Cassie.”

They nodded in mutual understanding and split up. 

As Shepard neared Tahirah’s bedroom, she grew a little apprehensive. The door was open just a crack, a thin beam of light cutting through the shadows of the hallway, and Tahirah’s current favorite song, Varrencage’s “Let It up, Let It in” was playing. The song ended with a crash, and there was a moment’s pause as it began again, a rhythmic drum that steadily rose in intensity.

Shepard’s blood ran cold. She’d seen a vid like this before, an old Earth film with some famous retro actress (the name escaped her, she just remembered that Tiffany and Sam had been shocked that she didn’t recognize her). The girl had followed the music emanating from her friend’s bedroom, an end of days song on repeat, and found her hanging from the ceiling. 

The tension in her shoulders dissipated when she caught the sound of Tahirah singing along to the music. You’re being stupid, she told herself, and knocked on the bedroom door as a common courtesy before swinging it open.

“…Tahirah, what the fuck are you doing with my razor?” she asked, needing a minute to take in the scope of what she was seeing.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Tahirah replied. She looked up from where she was sitting cross-legged on her bed, bent over Sangria and shaving stripes into the burgundy velour of her velvety coat. The space cat tacked on a mewl to the end of her rhetorical question, and Shepard was still baffled. 

“Okay there, Sassafras.”

“It’s not like you were using it anyway,” Tahirah pointed out, swiveling the razor to the side to narrow one of the stripes into a point. 

She did have a point – Shepard never shaved her legs, only occasionally shaved under her arms, and mostly just used it to keep other areas looking smart. 

“Fine, I’ll bite.” Shepard crossed her arms, shifting her weight onto one foot. “Why are you shaving Sangria?”

“So we can match!” Tahirah said, pointing to the oversized, tiger-striped collar of the belly-baring jacket that Shepard personally thought was way too short for her daughter to wear. “A girl at school wants to do a photoshoot with me, it’s the perfect opportunity. Sangria and I are going to be stars.”

Shepard didn’t even know what to say to that. “I don’t— that’s—” She shook her head. “Okay, you know what? I’m not gonna ask. Because I’d rather go find out what kind of lingerie your mom bought last night.”

Tahirah dropped the razor on the bedspread, and Sangria took the opportunity to attempt to slink away. “Eww, Dad!” Disgusted, she scooped up her pet, clutching her to her chest. Sangria’s twin tails curled around her neck, the Thessian-native creature burrowing its crest into the crook of Tahirah’s arm. “I didn’t need to know that!”

Shepard grinned. “Sorry, sweetheart. But real quick, I gotta ask – why the cat?”

K. Shepard knew that she was intelligent. Sure, she wasn’t exactly book smart, having no formal education on Earth, and she was incredibly obtuse when it came to knowledge of appropriate social interactions… but she was street smart, and she had a natural aptitude for technology. 

And yet, one look from her daughter managed to make her feel so stupid. Still, she couldn’t mind too much – children were supposed to make their parents feel out of touch, or so she was informed. 

“You don’t understand, Daddy, it’s fashion. This was a thing for humans, 150 years ago. I’ve seen pictures.”

“Okay,” Shepard held her hands up in resignation. She was more interested in the fashion Liara was wearing beneath her clothes right now than she was about cats with lion mane cuts and dogs in miniature versions of their owners’ outfits. “You are your mother’s daughter.” Like Liara, Tahirah shared a love of history, although her passion was not archaeology, but the history of fashion, especially in regards to humans. 

“I’m leaving you to it. As long as you’re not doing drugs.”

“What?”

“I love you, have fun, goodbye.” Shepard shut the bedroom door behind her and took a moment to heave a sigh of relief before returning to the kitchen.

“Well, I was wrong,” she announced to Liara. “Tahirah’s not a suicidal drug addict. She’s just shaving Sangria. Don’t ask questions,” she added when Liara opened her mouth. “Fashion. What was Cassie’s crisis?”

“She was trying on a shirt that she borrowed from October and got stuck in it.”

Shepard snorted with laughter. With the amount of buckles that she was sure were on that shirt, she could only imagine. “These are our daughters, Liara.”

“And yet, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“Me neither.” Shepard leaned in to kiss her, looping her arms around her waist. “So. I believe we left off with you telling me about this new lingerie?”

“I have a better idea,” Liara said, running a hand down the side of Shepard’s arms. “Why don’t I show you?”

Shepard’s face split into a wide smirk—which promptly turned into a scowl at the sound of the doorbell. “Goddammit!” she swore, swiveling around and storming towards the front door. “I am going to punch someone!” 

“Please don’t punch whoever our visitor is.”

“Can’t make any promises there, babe.” Shepard tossed a smirk over her shoulder and opened the door

“What— oh. Hey, October.” 

The royal blue asari was dressed head to toe in black. This wasn’t unusual in and of itself, given October’s love of punk rock attire – what was unusual was her choice of headgear. Her crest was covered entirely in a thick black shroud that cascaded down her back, while a sheet of ornate lace that fell in front of her eyes.

“Sorry, I’ve already been informed that I know nothing about fashion, and I’m used to some weird looks from you – but what the hell is on your head?”

“Shepard!” Liara hissed, elbowing her in the side. “It’s September first,” she mouthed. 

Shepard’s eyes widened when she realized her faux-pas – it was the anniversary of the death of Nasurn Vondell Aegohr Don Edot Salum. “Oh. Oh. Shit. I’m sorry, kid.” She shuffled awkwardly from one foot to another. She’d seen so many people die in her lifetime, but she still had no idea how to comfort the grieving. She settled for slapping October on the back.

“Your dad was a good man, October. I know he thought me and Cassie were a bad influence on you, but he still answered if I called him when I couldn’t sleep at night. Not a lot of people would do that.”

She stepped aside to let October in. “He might be at the big bar in the sky now, blaming us for you turning out to be such a rebel, but I think he’d be proud of you, Miss Honor Roll. You got your dad’s brains.”

“Thanks, but he’s not at the bar in the sky. That’s not what he believed in.” 

“Right. Wheel of life. Salarians.” 

Liara swooped in before she could express her skepticism further. “Cassie’s in her room, October. Let us know if you need anything.” 

October simply nodded and headed down the hallway, all too familiar with the house’s layout. 

“So… does that mean we need to be responsible, available adults now, or…?” Liara swatted Shepard’s arm in response. “I’m just asking!”

—

“Hey, Cassie.” 

“Hey, Tobie.” Cassie dropped the basketball she had been biotically bouncing against the wall of her room. “I’ve been thinking about you all day. You holding up okay?”

“Eh.” October gave a morose shrug and sat down next to her friend, just as the door to the room swung open.

“Cassie!” Tahirah said, rushing over to them. “Oh, hi Tobie,” she said, suddenly realizing that they weren’t alone. “Happy September, and I mean that facetiously. Cassie, what did you tell Dad about the party last night?”

“Just that I headbutted a krogan because he made a gross comment about you, and then I spent the rest of the night on the roof so he wouldn’t find me.”

Tahirah’s concerned expression melted into a touched smile. “Aww, really?”

“Yeah, then she high-fived me and told me not to tell Mom. Why?”

Tahirah exhaled a small puff of air. “Daddy came into my room to see what I was doing and was all—“ she pitched her voice lower to mimic Shepard “—‘As long as you’re not doing drugs…’ So what does she know?”

Cassie shrugged her shoulders. “Well, I didn’t rat you out.”

“I wasn’t even at the party, I don’t know what you did,” October said. 

“Damn.” Tahirah chewed on her thumbnail for a second. “Okay, I’m calling Puck.” With that, she left the room as quickly as she had entered, the door swinging behind her before creaking open half an inch. 

“Maybe your dad doesn’t know anything,” October said, brushing the lace of her veil on top of her head. 

“For everyone’s sake, I hope not— oh my god, Tobie!” Cassie exclaimed, eyes widening as October pulled off her headpiece to reveal a scalp as white as snow. “Your head—does your mom know?!”

“Nope.”

“She is going to freak, oh my god.”

“I know, she thinks only strippers can bleach their scalp. I don’t even want to leave it white, I want to dye each section a different color… Shit, why am I even talking about this? I’m an awful daughter.”

“You’re not an awful daughter!” Cassie protested. She grabbed October and pulled her head close against her bosom, or what existed of it. “Your mom’ll get over it.”

“It’s not about my mom,” October groaned, flopping down so that her head was in Cassie’s lap. “I did this last night, and when midnight hit, I didn’t even think about my dad. I should have waited until after September, what the hell was I thinking? I didn’t remember what day it was until I woke up and saw myself in the mirror and was like, ‘Man, Dad would flip his shit…’”

“But you still thought of him. You can’t let yourself feel guilty just because you were busy thinking about other stuff at midnight.” Cassie smoothed her hand over October’s crest. 

October was silent for a few moments. “What if I forget about him someday?” she said quietly.

“You won’t. Just the fact that you’re still thinking about stuff like what he’d think about you dying your scalp shows that you won’t. Your dad’s still a part of your life, even if he’s not here in person.” 

“But like…”. October grappled with her words. “Two hundred years from now, will I still remember something from when I was 15?” 

“Sure you will,” Cassie assured her, her voice confident. “That’s what mementos are for.” Her hand drifted to the pendant resting on October’s breastbone. “You’ll never forget his face, see?” 

October nodded, a lump bobbing in her throat. When she spoke again, her voice was raspy with contained emotion. “I still miss him.” 

“I know, Tobie.” Cassie’s heart ached in her chest. Every year, she saw how much one month destroyed her best friend, and it never got any easier to see. “I don’t think you ever stop missing the people you lose.” 

“Every time I meet a salarian, I think of him, Cass. I remember crying when I was saying goodbye, you know. And he said that it wasn’t really the end, he’d find me again in his next life.” 

Cassie didn’t know how to respond to that, but she suspected that October didn’t really need a response, just someone to listen as she aired her thoughts and emotions. She settled on stroking her brow. 

October closed her eyes, but a tear squeezed out from between her eyelids, cutting a solitary track down her cheek. Cassie pretended not to notice. October didn’t think it was punk rock to cry. 

“I hate this time of year,” she managed, her voice tight. “Wake me up when September ends.”

Cassie nodded, feeling rather overcome with emotion herself. She leaned down to kiss October’s forehead before resuming petting her. She hated seeing her best friend so upset and wracked her brain for some way to cheer her up, or at least coax a smile out of her.

“Hey,” she said suddenly. “Remember that time me and Tahirah slept over your house, and your dad told us all that scary story before bed? And then we jumped out at Tahirah when she was going to the bathroom and she peed herself.”

A blubbery laugh escaped October, but she was smiling through the tears. “Best blackmail material ever. What was that story even about? He told me a lot, they were my favorite bedtime stories.” 

“Oh, I remember it,” Cassie said with a giggle, “because I had nightmares for a month. I made Petro unlock my parents’ door so that I could crawl in bed with them. It made for some awkward nights.”

October laughed harder at that. “Oh my god, really?”

“Yeah, but I was afraid you’d think I wasn’t cool if you knew. My dad called yours, all ‘who’s the bad influence now, you fucking string bean?’” Tears were flowing freely down October’s face even as she laughed, and Cassie wiped them away with her thumb. ”You know…” she continued after a moment’s hesitation. “I can think of a better way to share that story with you than just telling you?”

“Oh yeah?” October scrubbed her eyes with her hands and looked up at Cassie.

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure I can mind meld now, if you wanted to be my first… I could share that memory with you.”

October pulled herself into a seated position and took Cassie’s hands. “I’d love that,” she said, leaning forward to rest her forehead against Cassie’s. 

Outside the bedroom, Shepard pulled away from the door and hastened down the hallway, not wanting to intrude on such a private moment. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop – she had just been on her way to meet up with Liara in their bedroom when she’d noticed the open door and decided to make sure the girls didn’t need anything. 

When she arrived at her bedroom, she knocked twice and opened the door, eyes squeezed shut. “My eyes are closed. Are you decent?”

There was a rustling as Liara pulled on her silk bathrobe and tied it shut. “Well, I am now.”

“Okay, good,” Shepard said, opening her eyes to find Liara sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at her expectantly. “I wanted to say something before I got distracted.” 

She sat down next to Liara, trying to ignore the way the light green robe gapped at her chest. “I think Cassie and October might be together.” 

“Is this another one of your wild theories, like Tahirah being a drug addict?” Shepard supposed she couldn’t blame her for being skeptical.

“No, this has a basis in reality. I wasn’t trying to be a snoop, but I overheard them talking in Cassie’s room, and they’re about to mind meld.” 

“That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a couple, Shepard,” Liara said. “We melded before we were together.”

“Yeah, but that was to save the galaxy. And look where we are now, I’m about to ravish you.”

“Mind melding doesn’t have to be sexual, you know that. It’s just an intimate sign of deep connection – family members often meld to share thoughts, as do close friends. I’m sure that’s all it is.“

"I don’t know…” Shepard clucked her tongue. “I have a hunch.” 

“And how often are your hunches right when they concern social situations?” Liara teased. ”Besides, Cassie always tells me when she has a crush on someone, and she hasn’t mentioned a word about October.”

“Okay, fine, you’re the expert. Shut up and kiss me.” Shepard grinned and pulled Liara onto her lap. “Fucking asari.”


End file.
